DoJ Stands on a False Analogy Against Net Neutrality

The problem with the US Justice Department’s stance against net neutrality is the problem a lot of older people have with the Internet in general: they subscribe to a false analogy based only on the Internet’s most primitive protocols.

They stand against net neutrality because they see the Internet as a postal service. Apparently, their knowledge of the Internet does not extend beyond the primitive metaphor of email, a metaphor younger Internet users have all but abandoned.

The Internet is not a postal service. It is not a communications channel. It has evolved far beyond the singular function of communication. It is a place. From the layman’s terms (website) to the technical jargon (uniform resource locator) to the raw materials (hosting space) to the leading brands (MySpace) to even the buzzwords (community), everything about the Internet denotes a place.

This place is digital, but no less real. That’s why digital goods and services actually hold real economic value. That’s also why the Internet has its own celebrities; unless you’re talking about Playboy centerfolds in the mail, you’ll never hear about a “postal celebrity”.

When you see the Internet as a place, net neutrality makes perfect sense. An ISP charging sites for fast access to customers is like a cabbie extorting businesses: unless the businesses pay up, the cabbie will drive customers to those businesses really slowly. If cabbies started extorting money from businesses that way, would any court in the land actually let it stand? The Department of Justice needs to see the Internet for what it is, not for what it once was.

If you want to hear an analogy for the Internet as a place in support of net neutrality, ask a ninja: it’s already there, can’t I just see it?